This invention relates generally to printers, and more particularly to portable printers that may be used with a personal digital assistant.
A number of portable printers for use with computers or other electronic devices are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,993 to Day et al. for a “Printer System” teaches a portable printer which resides in a base station connected to a computer when not in use. When it is desired to execute a printing application, the printer is removed from the base station and is manually placed on a print medium to initiate printing. Print alignment is achieved visually through a transparent window in the printer casing. The window may also be opened for inserting an ink cartridge into the printer before use.
A lightweight, portable printer for the production of labels is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,674 to Huggins et al. for a “Portable Printer”. Huggins teaches a battery-operated unit into which label supplies are loaded for printing. In this case the printing medium is fed through the printer rather than the printer being placed on the printing medium. The printer housing contains a motor-driven print head, a platen roll and gear, a holder for a supply roll of labels, a battery compartment, and various other features.
In contrast to this approach, U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,427 to Lee for a “Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) Printer Apparatus and Printing Method” teaches a PDA printer which is able to output a note without a header, as if the note were printed by a printer. In a conventional PDA, a note is printed by direct connection to a printer or by using a fax transmission. However, the former method requires a driver program for driving the printer, which results in development constraints upon the driver program and portable printer. As a result, fax transmission is generally used. To achieve a printing method in which a fax transmission function is improved by outputting a note without a header, the Lee device provides a display, a fax modem memory, and a method for printing a fax transmission without a header.